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PS5 and Xbox Series X lifecycles: How long will these new consoles last? – Tom's Guide

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We know the PS5 and Xbox Series X are arriving this holiday season, but it’s not impolite to ask how long they’ll actually stick around for, before getting replaced by the next “latest and greatest” machine.

Xbox chief Phil Spencer himself isn’t making any promises. But speaking to the AIAS Game Maker’s Notebook podcast, he doesn’t think that cloud gaming will kill the console, saying “I think I’m going to have a game console plugged into my television for the next decade-plus.”

More good news for gamers came in the form of increased backwards compatibility for the PS5 and Xbox Series X means these consoles will have deeper catalogues of games — so their long-term viability increases. That’s especially true as Microsoft revealed Smart Delivery, which lets you buy an Xbox game once, and get its enhanced version on subsequent consoles at no extra cost, since these consoles are becoming more and more like PCs.

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To get a sense of how long the PS5 and Xbox Series X will last, we’ve flipped through the annals of gaming history, looking at the history of Sony and PlayStation’s hardware releases. The good news — for customers trying to save money, at least — is that the lifespan of a console has grown with each generation (with two notable exceptions).

Just to keep things consistent, we’re looking at each console’s earliest release date, which often took place in Japan. Here’s how long every PlayStation and Xbox generation has lasted, and what it tells us about the future of the PS5 and Xbox Series X. 

(Image credit: Future)

Sony PlayStation

Released – replaced: December 3, 1994 – March 4, 2000

Lifetime: 5 years, 3 months, 1 day

Units sold: more than 102 million

The first of its name, and the first console to move over 100 million units, the original Sony PlayStation delivered solid gameplay and allowed a number of franchises to flourish. Shortly after, the PS2 came out, Sony released a smaller, whiter model, dubbed the PS one. 

The PlayStation started at $299 in the U.S., and Sony earned applause for being comparatively affordable when compared to the $399 Sega Saturn. It would later get marked down to $199. Over time, Sony changed the ports on the back of the PlayStation, first gutting the RCA ports and then removing the wide (and old-looking) Parallel I/O port. 

Sony PlayStation 2

Released – replaced: March 4, 2000 – November 11, 2006

Lifetime: 6 years, 8 months, 7 days

Units sold: Approx. 155 million

Introduced less than 6 years into the life of the OG PlayStation, the PS2 debuted in September 1999 at the Tokyo Game show. In the years leading to its release, word leaked that Sony was going to deliver backward compatibility with PS1 games and controllers. 

Sony made the PS2 more appealing by adding a DVD player, as well as including internet connectivity (though browsing a web page in its browser was flawed at best). It was the first PlayStation to offer online gaming. The more-svelte PlayStation 2 Slim debuted two-thirds into the console’s life, in 2004. 

Sony PlayStation 3

Released – replaced: November 11, 2006 – November 15, 2013

Lifetime: 7 years, 4 days excluding the end date

Units sold: More than 87 million

Sony released the PS3 three times, slimming down the shape of the machine with each update. Its inaugural release, in 2006, followed a wait of about a year and a half from E3 2005, where it was first announced. Sony gets retroactive points for correctly choosing the right media format, as the PlayStation 3 got support for Blu-ray discs (which are still sold today), while the Xbox 360 got HD-DVD (which failed, and fast).

The PS3’s 7-year life cycle was merely 4 months ahead of the PS2’s 6-year, 8-month window and suffered a bit as developers saw it as hard to develop and program for. Its unique cell processor may have been mighty, but it led to backward-compatibility issues for PS4 owners. When Sony announced that the PS5 would support PS4 games, PS3 owners breathed a sigh of relief. 

Sony PlayStation 4

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Released – replaced: November 15, 2013 – Holiday 2020

Lifetime: Approximately 7 years

Units sold: More than 106 million

Estimating the PS5’s release as “holiday season 2020,” and looking at how often “holiday season” translates to November, it’s safe to see that the PS4’s successor will bow out about 7 years after Sony released the winner of this current generation of the console wars.

The PS4 dominated the last 7 years because Sony smartly ditched the Cell microarchitecture and focused on delivering quality exclusive games, with highlights including Horizon Zero Dawn, Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End, God of War, Gran Turismo Sport and Marvel’s Spider-Man. The PlayStation 4 would get two siblings, the smaller PlayStation 4 Slim and the 4K UHD-supporting PlayStation Pro.

Microsoft Xbox

Released – replaced: November 15, 2001 – November 22, 2005

Lifetime: 4 years, 7 days excluding the end date.

Units sold: More than 24 million

A giant X with a green dot in the middle, the original Xbox was Microsoft’s big brash jump into the world of gaming hardware. And it didn’t just stick a toe into gaming culture. Microsoft’s official Xbox unveiling was done by no lesser pop culture icons than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Bill Gates.

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Selling 1.5 million units in its first month and a half, the Xbox thrived off of the must-play title of its launch year: Halo: Combat Evolved. In its second year, Microsoft added Xbox Live, an online gaming platform that made the Xbox the console to get to play against your friends who lived out of town.

Microsoft Xbox 360

Released – replaced: November 22, 2005 – November 22, 2013

Lifetime: 8 years excluding the end date.

Units sold: Approx. 80 million

Reportedly in development since about half-way into the Xbox’s life, the Xbox 360 looks like both a hit and a miss in hindsight. While PS3 had its exclusives, Microsoft was not without wins, including Gears of War, and its Xbox Live success.

While it sold 80 million units worldwide, it arguably could have sold many more — and outpaced the 87 million mark posted by the PS3. Standing in the way of said financial success was the 360’s Red Ring of Death failure issue, that basically rendered the console unusable.

Microsoft Xbox One

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)

Released – replaced: November 22, 2013 – Holiday 2020

Lifetime: Approx. 7 years

Units sold: not reported

While the Xbox One will last as long as Sony’s PS4, it’s inarguably the loser of this generation. Sony’s PS4 sales eclipsed 106 million units, while Microsoft simply stopped reporting that detail. Multiple additional releases, the digital-only Xbox One S and the 4K Xbox One X, didn’t help things. 

As to why it lost? Well, much like how Arby’s has the meats, Sony had the games. Despite strong exclusives like Forza Horizon4 and Gears of War 5, the Xbox One didn’t quite have anything on the level of God of War or Spider-Man. Microsoft’s response? Buying up all the studios it can (including recent acquisitions Double Fine and Ninja Theory), to hopefully gain exclusives that will help the Xbox Series X thrive. 

So how long will the PS5 and Xbox Series X last?

Based on the above math, I expect the PS5 and Xbox Series X to last through 2027 or maybe 2028. As we move to streaming-only gaming, with offerings like Google Stadia (which already feels dead) and Project xCloud, the console still has firm footing, and it appears as if each of these machines is made to go the distance as much as they’re meant to make an immediate impact. 

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Vizio Launches New 86-Inch 4K TV – For Just $999 – Forbes

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Perhaps because it’s been a bit busy signing itself over to retail giant Walmart, things have of late been a little quieter than usual on the Vizio product front. Today, though, Vizio has broken its silence with a big – literally – announcement that seems to confirm that its long-running tradition of delivering lots of TV for surprisingly little money isn’t set to change under its new ownership.

This big news is that Vizio will be adding a new 86-inch model to its current range of 4K TVs – and will only be charging $999 for it. That’s a remarkably low launch price for such a colossal TV, and could have home cinema fans falling over themselves to get hold of one if it follows in the footsteps of many of its Vizio predecessors by performing better than its price would lead you to expect.

Set to hit US stores from April 29, the unmemorably named V4K86C-0804 is, unsurprisingly for its price, built on a fairly basic core – namely an IPS panel that doesn’t have any local dimming to bolster its contrast performance. No Quantum Dots are involved in the screen’s colour creation, either.

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It also, though, has a few features up its sleeve that suggest it’s got more going on than your typical entry level 4K TV. For instance, its high dynamic range video support includes both of the premium Dolby Vision and HDR10+ formats, with their extra scene by scene picture information, as well as the basic HDR10 and HLG formats. This means it can take in the best version of any picture source you care to play into it.

Unlike some of the other TVs in Vizio’s 4K range, the new 86-inch addition can support 120fps gaming signals – albeit at only 1080p resolutions. There doesn’t appear to be any support, though, for other HDMI 2.1 gaming features such as variable refresh rates or auto low latency game mode switching. The only HDMI 2.1 feature confirmed is eARC, enabling the TV to pass lossless multi-channel audio out to ARC-capable soundbars and AV receivers.

Other value-added features of the new Vizio 86-inch TV include DTS:X audio decoding and Dual-Band WiFi 6 connectivity, while its operating system is the revamped Vizio Home Screen system the brand introduced in 2023. Powered by SmartCast, Vizio Home Screen offers helpful smart TV features such an app ‘row’ with an easily customisable running order, support for AirPlay 2 and Chromecast, genre-based content browsing, and access to many of the most popular streaming services.

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“We’re thrilled to be able to evolve our lineup of 4K, Full HD and HD TVs, which have been a staple of at VIZIO for years and to continue to bring unprecedented value and quality to our customers,” said John Schindler, Vice President of Product Management at VIZIO. “With even more sizes and display ranges to select from, customers can enjoy precise picture quality and built-in entertainment content no matter what room in the home they are in.”

Vizio’s new 86-inch screen joins a host of affordable new king-sized arrivals from the likes of TCL, Hisense, LG and Samsung (see my recent review of the 98-inch Samsung 98Q80C) seeking to cash in on the sudden post-Covid surge in demand for cinematic experiences at home.

Related reading

Samsung 98Q80C 98-inch TV Review: A Monster Hit

LG G4 First Look: A Promising Tale Of The Unexpected

Pioneer Unveils Two New PS5 and Xbox Series X-Friendly AV Receivers

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Record low prices hit Apple's M3 MacBook Pro 14-inch, now on sale from $1,399 – AppleInsider

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B&H has dropped MacBook Pro prices further as March comes to a close. Pick up an M3 MacBook Pro with 16GB RAM for just $1,549 — or opt for the M3 Pro MacBook Pro 14-inch for $1,699. Both are record-breaking deals.

14-inch models

16-inch models

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There are numerous MacBook Pro deals on upgraded configurations, so if you’re looking for an M3 Max configuration or extra storage, it’s worth checking out our Mac Price Guide to shop the latest sales.

Even more month-end deals on Apple

Best Apple prices

Aggressive savings are in effect now on nearly every current Mac. You can also find discounted prices on streaming services, closeout models and software. Here are a few of the top deals going on now:

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Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) New iPad Pro and iPad Air to Hit Markets Soon – TipRanks.com – TipRanks

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Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) is likely to introduce its new iPad Pro and iPad Air as soon as May. The much-anticipated product launch will come just ahead of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June.

End to a Long Wait

As the much-awaited moment draws near, Bloomberg reports that the tech giant’s suppliers have already ramped up production of the devices. For Apple’s devout customers, the introduction of the revamped iPads marks the end of a nearly 18-month drought of major new releases from the company. The iPads are expected to boast features such as new OLED displays for the Pro model and an option for a 12.9-inch screen for the Air model.

Revamped iPads Unleashed

The long wait for new iPad models has resulted in sluggish tablet sales for Apple in recent times. Consequently, the company will likely look to the revamped versions to boost demand. Additionally, Apple is introducing more processing power to the new versions. The Pro models will feature a new M3 chip. Similarly, the iPad Air is also receiving an upgrade with a new processor, moving from its last version’s M1 chip to the latest technology.

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What to Expect in June

Importantly, the product launches are scheduled just before Apple’s highly anticipated annual Worldwide Developers Conference. This event is slated for June 10. The iPhone maker is widely expected to unveil its AI strategy as well as software updates for its range of products at the event. 

Is Apple a Buy, Sell, or a Hold?

Apple’s share price has corrected by nearly 11% year-to-date. The Street has a cautiously optimistic stance on the stock with a Moderate Buy consensus rating. Furthermore, the average AAPL price target of $203.40 points to an 18.6% potential upside in the company’s share price.

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